She began her career as a child actress and model, first appearing in national television commercials. After a series of recurring television roles and then guest spots as a teenager, Rivera got her breakthrough role in as lesbian cheerleader Santana Lopez on the Fox television series Glee — Rivera was signed to Columbia Records as a solo musical artist in and — despite never releasing a studio album — released a single, " Sorry ", in On the big screen, Rivera made her debut in the horror film At the Devil's Door before playing a supporting role in the comedy Mad Families Besides performing, Rivera championed various charitable causes, particularly for LGBT rights , immigrants' rights , and women's rights.
She achieved fame during the s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. The press coined the term "The Love Goddess" to describe Hayworth after she had become the most glamorous screen idol of the s. Hayworth is perhaps best known for her performance in the film noir Gilda , opposite Glenn Ford , in which she played the femme fatale in her first major dramatic role. In , Hayworth was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease , which contributed to her death at age The public disclosure and discussion of her illness drew attention to Alzheimer's and helped to increase public and private funding against the disease. They also had two sons: Eduardo Jr.